I am in LOVE with Africa! [update]

My dream has come true and I'm living in an orphanage of about 80 beautiful black babies! It's called El Shaddai and I've honestly never seen more luscious mountains that surround us. It's breathtaking. Each morning I wake up and try and wrap my mind around the scenery and that I am doing what I've always wanted to do.bI am beyond happy this month and yes, I've already found the kid I would do anything to take home. I am SMITTEN by his little 5 year old grin. He's is hilarious, mischievous, and thinks he's batman. Seriously though, I'm head over heels in love with him and so many others. I don't know how I'm going to leave this place.

I celebrated my 23rd birthday with a real cup of coffee, a hot shower, French toast, chocolate cake, and lots and lots of love from my squad. I couldn't imagine a better place for me to celebrate my birthday AND Christmas.

Swaziland is much more westernized than I had expected! Though it takes about an hour and 45 minutes to get off the mountain top that El Shaddai is on and into town, it's very nice here. We even got to see Catching Fire and go grocery shopping at a store similar to walmart! Praise the Lord.

Ministry is extremely broad and we can pretty much do whatever our skill or passion is. Everything from fixing up the school, to helping farm the land around the orphanage, to mucking the duck pond, to teaching anything and everything since the kids are out of school this month! I am primarily working in the baby house that ranges from 7 months to 5 years. There are 18 of them and 2 Aunties to take care of them. Needless to say, they crave attention and love. I also am being trained to work in the clinic doing basics, like taking vitals and first aid! I really like that a lot. There is seriously so much to do here. We start at 8am and go until about 6 or 7pm and are asleep by 9!

We have all been assigned a "buddy" for the month. Mine is a 7 year old little boy. I get to spend extra time with him, read him books, watch movies, and just pour individualized love into his life.

We are slowly hearing more and more of the tragic backgrounds that these kids come from. Everything from the 2 year old that was raised in a bar and on beer that she is actually going through alcohol withdraws and was only found because the government was on a search for her mom after her 2 older brothers were hung by their feet and brutally beaten, molested, and bitten by their father. And that's just one story. The injustice that these children have to go through rips my soul to pieces. Though these kids have seen more darkness than I knew possible, El Shaddai is a very anointed place with God's love pouring through the children and staff here. They are safe, fed, get to go to school and church regularly. Perhaps you're beginning to grasp the reason I love it so much.

I can't believe that in just one week I will be half way through the Race! Kinda weirds me out. I am so immeasurably blessed to be here this month and I seriously don't know if I'm ever going to be able to leave. Nothing beats the feeling of dusty precious babies yelling my name and jumping into my arms. Nothing.